What should I look for to choose diamond?

[ez-v]

Hi All,

Being a lurker, I feel like I''ve learned a lot... yet when it comes time to make a decision, I still feel somewhat overwhelmed by the information.... For example, I''m looking for a diamond in the 0.8 ct range. Based on the HCA and Imagescope images, all of these 6 look pretty good. Which one would you pick and why?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=1060568
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=1060569
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=1060566
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-283248.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-232033.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3001/

In particular, I''m somewhat confused by the HCA scores. I know that once you get in the 1-something range, it''s really subjective whether one stone is "better" than the other one. I also remember reading somewhere that around 1.0 was usually a good balance. One of the James Allen stones registered a 0.6... What does this mean in terms of predicting what the stone will look like vs. a 1.0 stone or a 1.3 stone?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can give.

 

[JulieN]

The GOG stone is gone?

If you like small tables, go with the JA stones or .825 WF stone.

THe lower pavilion angles tend to create a darker star.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome.

The HCA is a selection tool designed to weed out poor performers, a score of under 2 is considered cherry, but as to differing scores under 2 it is more of a case of a diamond passes or fails, not that one is necessarily better than the other on that basis.

Those are all nice selections, it depends too whether you want the pedigree of an ACA ( these are consistently stuning diamonds) or to choose between the others, depends what you are going for.

 

[ez-v]

This is where I think I''ve reached the extent of my knowledge... What look does a "small table" diamond look like and how does that compare with one with a larger table? Is there some sort of guideline as to what is typically "better"?